Page 17 - The Case Lab Book

i: The Case Method

The case study method was pioneered at the Harvard Business School
and is to all intents and purposes a form of:

Problem Based Learning

A case study:

1. is a story of an actual event or situation
2. presents a problem
3. elicits different responses and suggestions for action
4. is open-ended, with no single ‘right answer’
5. seizes learners’ attention and immerses them in the story

Teaching

In the words of Alfred North Whitehead, “the case method rejects the

doctrine that students first learn passively, and then apply the
knowledge.”

The case method is not traditional teaching where the instructor
speaks and the student listens. Rather the focus is on the student

learning by doing through their joint co-operative effort.

Managerial Skills

The case method requires the practice of managerial skills such as:

• diagnosing,
• making decisions,
• observing,
• listening, and

• persuading